I'm just starting out in the world of harmonicas and I'm already wanting to start collecting harps! lol
So far I have a Hohner Special 20 (SO easy to play!!!) and a Suzuki Olive (not as easy to play as my 20, but man does it feel great, sound good and look amazing! I LOVE my olive) both in the key of C.
My next harp is going to be another Olive in the key of G, then I want a special 20 in the key of A, a Suzuki Promaster (not valved...lol I can't even bend yet!) and a Seydel Session Steel (that orange comb calls to me!).
I'm looking to pick up these new harps within the next month (I can hardly put the 2 I already own down! I've had SO much fun over the last month learning!).

So...what's in your collection, and what harps are you planning on purchasing soon?

This can be a bit of a bragging thread It's fun to talk about nice things we own from time to time hehe.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

In what way do you consider the olive more difficult than the special 20?

Also, I guess YMMV, but I've found the G harp to be the most difficult to play of all they keys I have. I think some of that is due to Hohner's general inconsistent quality, but still, I wouldn't really recommend having the model that's more difficult for you so far to be the one you get in G. But again, maybe that's just me...

I have every kind you mentioned except the olive, I'll tell you how I feel about them if that helps you decide what to get next:

Promaster-- feels great, plays great, sounds great, and bending is almost too easy. My harp of choice so far. I've heard nothing good about the valves, keep away from those.

Seydel BSS-- has the best sound of everything I have, very rich. Really the only harp where I notice a very clear improvement in the sound (at least on the lower end). Not recommended for the mustachioed persuasion, however. The holes are spaced farther apart than on the others, so you may have to adjust a little. With as much as you practice it shouldn't be a problem. Bending is about as easy as the Special 20.

Special 20-- great to learn on for the price and general ease, but not the best, and after getting a few you'll probably end up with some you're not happy with. My G and F both have some very airy holes that make them hard to play. I should probably try to adjust the gapping or something, but I have no idea what that even means >.>

The 4 and 5 holes take a bit more blowing and drawing from when playing my Olive compared to my Special 20.
I opened my Olive up yesterday to adjust the spacing of the reeds and that has helped a lot, but still there's a very noticible difference between my Special 20, and the Olive (on all holes really. The 20 takes almost nothing to sound...the olive takes a little bit more).


And thanks a lot for the mini reviews Looks like the Promaster is the next on my list. I've been eyeing that one since I first started to become interested in harps. It's just such a fantastic looking instrument!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/2012 04:37AM by twitch77.

hmm, surprised it's those holes. It's usually the low or high ones that end up being most problematic in my experience.

My special 20 in C is great. It's almost 3 years old now, so it's forgivable that the 6 draw sticks sometimes, and other than that it's very easy to play and bend. It's the G and F that give me problems being airy and such. I forgot to mention, my G also gets this kind of rattle to it. Admittedly, the Special 20 is the only harp I have more than one of, so if other models are as inconsistent I might have just gotten lucky with them. however, pretty much everything I read about hohner gives me the impression it's a common issue with them in particular not to be great out of the box every time.

The Promaster is recommended by so many influential folks here that we may as well call it the unofficial harp of choice of Harptabs. Nick should look into getting some money from them >.> It has the same cover plates as your olive (just not colored), so if you think that feels great, you'll think the same of the Promaster. It has an aluminum comb instead of a wood one, which gives it some weight. You seem to be very much into the aesthetic of harps, and you'll find the Promaster pleasing in that regard too.

I have a full set of Promasters. I use a Hohner Golden Melody to do most of my practicing on. (I don't want to wear the Promasters out for that.) I also have a Seydel Blues Session in low D. (It's not available in the Promasters.)

"...I've heard nothing good about the valves..."
I can tell you something good about them: They're easy to rip out.
I would like them if they didn't rattle.

Went to my local music shop today hoping they might have a Suzuki Promaster for me to pick up.
They didn't sell Suzuki...but they did have a Seydel Blues Session Steel (the one with the orange comb) and so I decided to pick that one up.

OMG what an instrument!
As far as I'm concerned...I've just found the harp just right for me! It plays amazingly easy (very little breath needed like the Hohner Special 20), the sound it produces is so smooth and just absolutely sings to me and it feels SO perfect in my mouth. I love the spacing of the holes and find it extremely easy to hit single notes while tongue blocking.

I wanted several other harmonicas, and I liked my Olive because it felt great, looked amazing and sounded great...but it was a bit too hard to play for my tastes (in that I had to blow and draw a little more then I like to get it to sound)...I like my Special 20 because it's SO easy to play, but it didn't sound as rich or smooth as my Olive and I didn't like the spacing of the holes nearly as much as the Olive.
In walks the Blues Session and I'm head over feet in love!
What a great instrument!

Now if you'll excuse me...I got some more harp to play!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/03/2012 03:04AM by twitch77.

What key is it?

Also, how does the hole spacing of the special 20 compare to the olive? I imagined they'd be the same, since the promaster is the same as the special 20.

Key of C (I'm keeping mainly to C harps right now because that's the key I'm using the most as I'm learning. My next harp I'm going to purchase will be in the key of G though).

And the spacing is noticebly bigger on my olive compared to my special 20. The little bars between the holes (lol can't think of the proper term off the top of my head) are visibly bigger (just slightly), but it become very apparent at how much more room there is once I'm playing the harp while tongue blocking. I prefer it this way as it's just so much easier to hit my single notes.

Another comparison I can make after wailing away for the last 2 days on my Seydel...the comb feels great while playing!
The special 20's comb feels sharp on my tongue (didn't notice it tell I got my Seydel)...the bars between the holes feel like they've got pretty sharp edges when I press my tongue to them.
The olive is a little like this, but not nearly as noticible as the 20.
My Seydel on the other hand feels just great! It feels more rounded when my tongue is pressed against the bars, with no edges.
Also loving the plastic over the olive's wood/resin combo. My special 20 and my Seydel feel really smooth for my tongue to glide across...the olive is much more course then the plastic, and instead of super smoothly gliding across the comb as I'm switching holes, it almost drags slightly because the comb is more course and rough.

Just my observations.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/04/2012 01:10AM by twitch77.

The holes of the seydel are recessed a bit, the edges aren't completely square. That's probably why it feels better on your tongue.

Interesting, the promaster's spaces are the same as the S20, so I thought the olive would be too. Actually, I had my eye on olive as my next purchase (that's why I keep asking you questions about it), and hearing that makes me wary of it. I don't find that the longer spaces on the seydel makes it easier to hit single notes for me, it actually just makes it harder to play overall because I keep having to adjust from what I'm more used to.

Maybe I'll go with hohner crossover instead after all. But ugh, those damn cover plates =/

lol don't take too much of what I say too seriously. I'm very new and really don't know what I'm talking about.

I just inspected my special 20 and olive a bit closer again for you...and yeah there deffinently is a difference in the size of the spacers between the holes. The holes on the olive are slightly more narrow then the 20's as well.

Regardless I'd fully recommend the Olive as your next purchase. It really is a beautiful instrument and produces such a full, warm and loud tone. I've also yet to find a 10 hole diatonic that looks anywhere near as good as the olive (that's just my opinion though)...the more I look at it, the more I fall in love with the looks lol.

You own a promaster so I'm sure you know how amazing that thing feels in your hands and your mouth...I assume the olive would be the same for you.

I'd say take that leap of faith and give the olive a shot.
It's almost too beautiful not to own! haha

Thanks for all the great tips and suggestions

P.S.
The olive uses the same comb as the suzuki manji (they're just in different colors) if that helps at all.

p.p.s.s. (lol)
the seydel's spacers between the holes are even bigger then the olives! lol, the holes are quite a bit bigger then the olive's as well (about the size of the special 20's holes).
No wonder I'm able to hit single notes so easily!



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 11/04/2012 05:19AM by twitch77.

You may be new, but I'm sure you can tell by looking if one harp has father spaced holes than another =)

I know the manji has the same comb, but I'm not interested in it because the Promaster cover plates (and thus olive cover plates) feel more natural than anything else I've picked up, and I much perfer it over the boxcar shape the manji has.

I just don't think I can bring myself to go with the crossover. Everything I read indicates it has the same out of the box inconsistancy as other hohner harps. I hear great things about it, then I hear people talking about having to fix the misaligned reeds it comes with. ugh, not dealing with that. I understand that no harp will be optimized for me personally OOTB, but for 65 dollars it at least shouldn't come messed up.

You're not really making a good case for the Olive, though. Bigger spaces /and/ narrower holes? Sounds like it would be difficult. But then again, If I'm going to keep trying new things-- and that is my goal for the foreseeable future-- I guess I need to break out of the comfort zone of what I'm used to based on my first purchase.

Don't worry, I'm new too. I'm close to the 3-year mark, but I'm going to be a lifelong journeyman. Still can't watch people busting out fast riffs on youtube without thinking: "yeah, I'll never be a real harp player in any sense of the word." That, or "**** you, show-off" -.- hehe. I'm happy just playing songs I like and being able to say, "yeah, that more or less sounds recognizable!"

I've been at this a little over a month as well. I started with a Suzuki Harpmaster in C and just added a Suzuki Promaster in A last weekend. I really like the weight of the Promaster and the overall ease of playing, but I'm having troubles with the 2 draw and the full length covers. I can't seem to figure out where I am on the bottom couple of holes. Practice will help me get past that!

Rob

[www.sixatetime.com]

Hi folks, I am an ancient beginner, I was given a Larry Addler Proffesional Chromatic by a now deceased friend who could make it sing! I tried but dont have a clue so Wandered to my nearest Music Shop (York, England) and was advised to start with a Hohner Big River C, after a couple of days I find I can knock out a couple of tunes in single notes so went back to the shop and Bought another same model in G, I liked the sound of that one a lot better then found that sometimes a tune would sound a bit better in a different key, I had to hold myself in check and not go for a complete collection

After reading this forum for a few nights and looking on You Tube I decided to buy myself a Hohner Golden Melody ( I chose Hohner because I couldnt get either a Seydel or a Suzuki locally )in the end I bought the Harp online. My wife says that my playing is almost tolerable in small doses so she is buying me a Golden Melody Tremolo for Christmas.
I cant read music so dont think I will ever get to play my friends Chromatic unless I can find a teacher, but I really am bitten by the Harp, so easy to carry (not like the 5 string banjo I used to play)

I just love this forum and the tabs are a great help, so thanks to those that run it and those that contribute
Best Regards to all. Geordie, the oldtynesider

Well, let's see here....

Hubby and I each have Suzuki Folk Master diatonics in A, Bb, D, and F.
Hubby has a Lee Oscar in C Major, and C Minor (Eb Major), as well as a Seydel Blues Session in LLF, and a Seydel Solist Pro in Bb Minor (Db Major).
I have a Suzuki Pro Master in C, a Seydel Blues Session in C, G, Low G, Low D, and Low Eb. I also have Seydel Solist Pro(s) in Bb, G, D, Eb, and F.
And last, but by no means least, I have a Seydel DeLux Chromatic in C (my very first Chromatic), a Hohner 64 Chromonica 280 in C, and a Suzuki Chromatix SCX-64 also in C. Both the Hohner and Suzuki chromatics have had their reeds gapped, tuned, octave tuned, and generally gone over with a fine tooth comb by Steve Malerby, aka "harpsurgeon".

My next purchase will be a Suzuki SCX-48 in G, and maybe another SCX-48 in C (no doubt I'll get other keys, too...). Eventually I'd like to get a Suzuki SDB-39 (preferred), or a SDB-29. Both are Double Bass harmonicas, but the SDB-39 has a greater range, and so I have my eyes on it.


Geordie, your friend has given you a great gift. If he could make it sing, it no doubt brought great joy to him in his lifetime. He was trying to pass on that gift, that joy, to you by giving you his chromatic. It may take several years before you decide to try and play it, but don't give up on it. Reading music isn't all that difficult. It's mostly just memory work. Keep at it. You'll get it.

Glad you've found that same happiness that most of us have found in this incredible little instrument. Your harp collection is just beginning.

It's so great to see the love and enthusiasm in this thread!

lol who knew harmonica's would be so darned exciting and addicting!

Hi EarthDogHarpin, Thanks for those kind encouraging words, I think that I am far to old (70) to give the Chromatic the kind of treatment that it deserves but I shall try, I practice a lot as I am retired, but I just have to pick that harp up to see my old friends face, one day I will find it a deserving new owner, maybe a youngster who has talent and determination, but hopefully that day is still some time off, in the meantime I get a real blast from just holding it and practicing on the big river, My wife is happy with me harping around as she calls it, she says its better than my b****y banjo!
life is good right now, Fun is just a breath away!
Best Regards to everyone. Geordie, the old tynesider

I'm still not sure why, but I decided to learn the harmonica late last March and in a couple of days I had in my hands a Hohner Bluesband (because at first I was really cheap & wasn't convinced that there could be that much of a difference between harmonicas). Using the Harmonica Country website I struggled to learn "God is So Good." But after that, I learned that I could make some music just following tabs and it was like I went nuts and went from zero to a bunch of harmonicas in just sixty days...

Once the gear acquisition problem was temporarily quenched, I found that I owned a Bluesband, 2 Special 20's [C & G]; 2 Lee Oskar [A & D]; 2 Soul's Voice [C & Eb]; 2 Delta Frosts [C & F#]; a Huang Silvertone [C]; a Golden Melody [C]; 2 LO Melody Makers [C & G]; a Hurricane Harps Hot House Blues [Bb]; 2 Jailhouse Blues [C & G]; and two used Big Rivers - both in key of A.

Of the lot, I like my Delta Frosts best, I think. The LO's are nice; the GM has a hole or two that aren't right. And I think well enough of the Special 20's that I bought a set for a friend as a retirement gift.

I regret buying the MM's because I just haven't been able to get them to work for me. I have experimented with the cheap harps, just to have some keys and to make some comparisons. My biggest disappointment is with the Huang; not expensive, but I expected better. It's so leaky. The Big Rivers were bought used in two different thrift shops; they are blown out I guess, and it's not worth it to replace the reeds. The cover plates look nice though. The Hurricane Harp is pretty worthless. For some reason I like the cheapest looking harps (and I think cheapest overall) - the Jailhouse Blues; and often have reached for them as readily as some of the top harps. They are leaky, but they have a sound that I like.

I like trying out the different brands, keys, and styles. What have I learned? That generally you get what you pay for. It really is better to pay $30 to $35 for a harmonica when starting out. And eventually I may acquire some in the $50 to $75 range, but not for a while. I have slowed down on the purchases, but I have put some harps on my Christmas list. We'll see what Santa brings!

Merry Christmas to you all.

Wyozark

You gotta try a Suzuki Promaster!

I've been at it for almost a year.
I started out with a Special 20 C and a Lee Oskar C. I found the Hohner to be be more comfortable in my hands (hands on the small side) and a little easier to learn on so that's what I used in the beginning. Wanting other keys I eventually got the SP 20s in A, Bb, D, E and G. I also picked up a Lee Oskar F. Early on after the JP Allen lessons I had to get the LO Harmonic Minor A Minor. What fun. Then I got the Hm Cm. Along came a Suzuki Manji Bb and Hammond C. I had trouble playing them at first. I don't know what it was, but it took almost a month. Hard to make the notes for some reason but now the Mangi is so easy. Like driving a Ferrari. Effortless and extremely responsive. So light in the hand that it's almost magic. The Hammond still takes a little more effort. Probably because of the stiffer reeds. The shape of the Hammond is very comfortable in the hand and the heft makes it feel solid but not necessarily easier with the lips. I like the feel of the enameled cover plates. It's not as loud either. I've got 4 Golden melodies; A, C, D, G. Lots of fun. More responsive that the SP 20s, easy in the hand, light, great blues sound and loud though a little harder to hit the single notes at first, just have to pay a little more attention to the embouchure. I just acquired, finally, after reading how so many of you like it, a Promaster C. Striking and shiny almost like it needs to be with some black leather. Hmmmm. Nice combo with the heft of the Hammond and the reeds (I think) of the Mangi. So far (2 days) it's definitely not as easy as my Ferraris especially on the bottom two holes (embouchure?). but more comfortable in the hand. I'll be playing with it of course and see how it grooves. So far it's the GMs and the Manjis. The SP20s get the job done, like an SUV? solid, comfortable, fairly easy to play, easy to bend and good blues sound. Worth the cost. Heck, they're all worth the cost. Look what you get for for relatively little money. How much does a good guitar cost? And you'll going to want another. Electric- solid and hollow bodies- acoustic and resonator guitars. So many. And I can easily hide my new harps whereas my friend can only rearrange his guitars so much. Or a really good a Anglo concertina. $3000-$4000 plus.
Just after Thanksgiving and a Black Friday discount at 'Woodwind and Brasswind' I ordered a Shaker Madcat mic, then a Smokey Amp and have been playing around with them. Haven't tried the Promaster yet but the GMs feel nice and the Mangis feel OK. It's going to take some time.



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2012 12:47AM by rbone.

welp, i just found a harp that belonged to my grandfather down in my basement. its a 64 Chromanica (professional model made by M. Hohner). From reading about it online and all the notes ive been able to hit, i can see why it costs so much brand new. although i don't have the place to say it, since ive only been playing on it for 2 days . I found out that its not so hard to learn, that is if your playing jingle bells and silent night. would anyone know any songs that would be good to play in a talent show? i have until june, so throw anything at me!

Sincerely,
Rocklover1